Hudson Institute Statement on the Expulsion of Senior Fellow David Satter from the Russian Federation

WASHINGTON, Jan. 14, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Last night, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty officially confirmed that Hudson Institute Senior Fellow David Satter has been expelled from the Russian Federation as an "undesirable," and barred from further travel or work in Russian territory for a period of five years. Satter had been residing in Moscow while researching a book on post-Soviet history and serving as an advisor to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.

Hudson Institute condemns Russia's arbitrary and punitive moves against David Satter in the strongest possible terms, demands that his expulsion and ban be immediately reversed, and urges the U.S. government and international community to make every possible effort to ensure that David Satter is allowed to continue his scholarly activities in Russia without further delay or interference.

"David Satter is a valued colleague and friend who is one of America's leading authorities on contemporary Russia," says Hudson Institute President & CEO Kenneth R. Weinstein. "He has Hudson Institute's unequivocal support."

RFE/RL President and CEO Kevin Klose called the expulsion and travel ban "entirely without foundation or explanation" and "a fundamental violation of the right of free speech and journalistic liberty." The U.S. Embassy in Moscow has lodged a formal diplomatic protest with Russia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Satter is the author of three books on Russia, most recently "It Was a Long Time Ago and It Never Happened Anyway: Russia and the Communist Past" (Yale University Press, 2011), and director of a documentary on late-Soviet Russia, "Age of Delirium," which won the Van Gogh Grand Jury prize at the 2013 Amsterdam Film Festival.

Satter began reporting on Russia in 1976 as the Moscow correspondent for London's Financial Times. His essays and articles regularly appear in a wide variety of major U.S. and international publications, and he is a frequent guest—interviewed in both English and Russian—on Radio Liberty, BBC's Russian Service, BBC World, Voice of America, CNN, PBS, C-SPAN, and other broadcast networks.

For further information about David Satter and Hudson Institute, please contact Carolyn Stewart, 202-974-6456, cstewart@hudson.org or visit Hudson.org.

For updates, follow @HudsonInstitute and @DavidSatter on Twitter.

About Hudson Institute:A nonpartisan research organization promoting new ideas for the advancement of global security, prosperity and freedom. Hudson.org